Lafayette Investments Inc. Grows Holdings in Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT)

Lafayette Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin Co. (NYSE:LMT) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,599 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 538 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin comprises 2.0% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Lockheed Martin were worth $7,976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in shares of Lockheed Martin by 73.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 64 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 65 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lockheed Martin in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.19% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:LMT traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $456.09. The company had a trading volume of 714,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,157,395. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Lockheed Martin Co. has a one year low of $393.77 and a one year high of $503.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $439.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $442.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.55, a PEG ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.48.

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The aerospace company reported $7.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.26 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $18.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.96 billion. Lockheed Martin had a net margin of 10.24% and a return on equity of 79.91%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.79 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lockheed Martin Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $3.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $12.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on LMT. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $550.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $438.00 to $472.00 in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Lockheed Martin from $540.00 to $508.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $475.00 to $470.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $488.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $493.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Maryanne Lavan sold 4,022 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.39, for a total value of $1,747,116.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Gregory M. Ulmer sold 6,204 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $431.19, for a total transaction of $2,675,102.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,434,718.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Maryanne Lavan sold 4,022 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.39, for a total transaction of $1,747,116.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,874 shares of company stock worth $7,249,946. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Lockheed Martin Profile

Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. The company operates through Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space segments.